Apparatus for processing canned food.



PATENTEUAUG. 21, 1906.

J. S. HUGHES. APPARATUS FOR PRGESSING GANNED FOOD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1902. BENEWED IAB. 2, 1906.

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No. 829,212. PATENTED AUG. 21, 1906. J. S. HUGHES. APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING OANNED FOOD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1902. BBNEWED MAR. 2, 1906.

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.. above bollin UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

JOHN^S.-HUGHES, F ST. FRANCIS, MINNESOTA.

` APPARATUS Fon PROCESSING CANNED FooD.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application led July 19,1902. Renewed March 2, 1906. Serial No. 303,795.

i Patented Aug'. 21, 1906.

To all whom it may con/cern.: K

Be it known that I, JOHN S. HUGHES, of St. Francis, county/of Anoka, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Apparatus for Processing Canned Food, of W ich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus designed for use in processing or cooking and cooling canned goods after the cans have been sealed.

Heretofore it has been customary where the ordinary process kettle or retort is not used to provide crates ada ted to contain a qluantity of filled cans an roll these crates s owly through a lon tank of steam-heated chemically-prepared fiquid at a temperature until the contents of the can were thoroug ly cooked. The motion of the crates, it was assumed, would cause the contents of the cans to move around the sides of of the food out into contact with the walls of the cans, so that an equal uni-form processing would be effected and decomposition and fermentation prevented. It has been found, however, that the introduction into the tank of a crate containin a large number of cold lled cans or severa crates in quick succession would lower the temperature of the liquid at the receiving end of the tank below the desired degree and retard the cooking op(eration, and 1f the operator attempted to eep the temperature at that end up to the standard the li uid in the middle and at the discharge en being stirred up and mixed with the liquid of the receiving end by the movement of the crates, would be raised above the desired degree, and there would be reat danger of burning or colorin the food uring the cookin operation. It as been found also that wtuliere a cylindrical crate is used and the cans dumped therein promiscuously many of them would lie lengthwise, so that when the crate was rolled the contents of some cans would follow the curved sides with out being shaken up or mixed or the middle portion coming in contact with the walls, while others received an end-on-end motion, resulting in unequal cooking of the food. It has also been found that the crates enter the processing-tank at unequal intervals sometimes in very rapid succession and again more slowly. Under such conditions the difficulty of maintaining an even heat is readily apparent, and it is practically impossible to determine if all the cans have received the same heat for a sufiicient length of time, and

eat uncertainty must exist as to evenness 1n quality andsterility of the roduct. It has also been found that the tan s and other appliances heretofore employed in cooling and rinsing the cans were cumbersome and difficult to handle and usually required an unnecessary length of time for the cooling operation.

The object, therefore, of my invention is to provide a processing apparatus which can be readily kept at the desired uniform tem erature, Whereb complete processing o the food under al conditions 1s an assured certaint A fyurther obj ect is to provide an apparatus in which each crate and its contents can be handled and treated independently of all the other crates and their contents, and thus receive the processing needed, according to the character. and quality of the food.

A further object is to provide a receptacle for the cans which will permit their being packed snugly therein without any waste of space and will permit the cans to be turned endwise and the food to be thrown from one end of the can to the other and thoroughly agitated, mixed, and brought into contact with the walls, so that no portion will be uncooked.

A further object is to provide an apparatus fof very simple and comparatively inexpensive construction, but strong and durable.

A further object is to effect asaving in the quantit or volume of saline solution required or the processing operation and also of the steam required to heat the solution.

A further object is to effect an immediate cooling of the cans as soon as their contents are processed.- The sole purpose of processing in the canning of food is to raise the entire contents of the can to a very high temperature to kill the bacteria adhering to the food and not, as generally supposed, to improve the flavor, as in ordinary cooking. Hence it is very essential to shorten the period of heating as much as possible after the required high temperature is once reached, and the cooling apparatus becomes, therefore, a very essential part ofthe processing appliances.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

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In the accompanyingv drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a portion of a processing tank or apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line of Fig. 2. l" ig. 4 is a plan view of one of the crates or receptacles wherein the cans are packed preparatory to processing. Fig. 5 is an end view of a crate.

In the drawings, 2 represents a tank constructed of plank or any other suitable ma terial, as preferred, rectangular in form and divided into a series of processing or cooking and cooling compartments byvertical partitions 3. The tank may be of any desired length, according to the number of compart- Each compartment is open at the top and each cooking-con'ipa-rtment is adapted to be filled with water in which is placed a quantity of chlorid of calcium in solution or any other chemical adapted to the purpose to allow the liquid to be raised to a temperature above the boilingpoint by .the introduction of steam-coils therein. At one side of the tank I provide a steam-supply pipe 4, having a connection 5 opposite each compartment arid a valve 6, that communicates through a nipple 7 with coils of pipe 8, arranged in the bottom of each compartment that it is desired to appropriate for use in the cooking of the food, but preferably omitted from the cooling-compartment. Within each compartment above the steamcoils I provide rolls 9, arranged in pairs and having parallel shafts 10 mounted in bearings in the sides of the tank and projecting through the wall thereof on one side and provided with beveled gears 11, meshing with similar gears 12 on a shaft 13. This shaft is supported in bearings on brackets 14 and is Adriven from any suitable source of power.

(Notshown.) Gears of any suitable size may be provided on the shafts 10 and 13 according tothe speed of the shaft 13 and the preferred number 0f revolutions of the rolls. I prefer to make these rolls of wood of substantially the same diameter throughout their length; but it will be understood that other material may be employed, if preferred. Each cookingcompartment, as shown, is provided with an independent valve, by means of which the steam may be admitted to or shut 0H from any of the coils Without interfering with the coils in the other similar compartments.

In this way I am able to operate all or any number of the compartments lessl than al according to the volume of business and the .number of cans of food to be processed. If

the tank is made with a large number of compartments and the volume of business does not Warrant the use of the entire tank for cooking purposes, I may shut oif the steam from some o sufficient number to cook the cans of food the compartments, using only a that are ready to be treated. In this way it is only necessar to fill'those compartments with the expensive solution that is to be used in cooking, and I am thus able to make a considerable saving in the cost of the liquid over the ordinary long open tank with the single compartment that is now in use for this purL pose.

The receptacle wherein the .filled cans are placed consists of a rectangular crate, preferabl square in cross-section, .having heads or en sconstructed of angle-bars 15 on accountof their strength and rigidity, said bars being connected at the ends by cross-slats 16 and a bracing plate or strip 17. The opposite heads are connected by bars 18, and at the ends the heads are inciosed within. rings 1f), that are firmlyboltcd to the bars 15 by means of straps 20. This vforms a very strong rigid construction for the (-,ratcs and renders .them capable of supporting a large -number of filled cans without being twisted or bent out of their proper shape, and the rings 19 resting upon the curved surfaces of the rolls and turning therewith will as thel rolls are revolved cause a corresponding movement of the crate itself and its contents. A bail 21 is connected to the ends of the crate, and a hinged door or gate 22 permits access to the inte-rior of the crate for the purpose of insert- .ing the cans therein or removing them therefrom, and for convenience I prefer to make said gate the full length of the crate.v The rectangular construction of the crate or receptacle allows the cans to be compactly placed therein end to end and extending in transverse rows from one side to the other of the crate substantially at right angles to the axis thereof, and when the crate is revolved the contents of the cans instead of 4following the curved side walls of the cans will be thrown from one end to the other thereof and the middle portion thoroughly mixed with that at the ends and brought into contact with the walls of the cans, where a uniform cooking is effected. The rolls turn slowly in IOO the same direction, and the rings 19 resting thereon will be slowly revolved with the crates, keeping the food in motion, stirring the liquid, and insuring the uniform cooking of the can contents.

In the ordinary retort or kettle and in the long tanks, wherein the temperature of thev liquid'i's constantly varying with the number of crates contained therein, it requires about `an hour and twenty minutes to thoroughly provided to receive a thermometer 24, by means of which the temperature of the liquid in the tank can be ascertained at a lance. It is reasonable to assume that the reuired heat can `be most quickly obtained t ough a itation oi' thecontents of the cans while cooing, so agitation will promote cooling just as surel; and ra idly and more (quickly than throug any oth evised, and in order to prevent discoloration and ldeterioration in'iiavor in canned goods, notably corn, it is essential that the cans be cooled rapidly to check and abate the continuation of the cookin operation. The apparatus which I preer to provide for the cooling step of the processing operation is described asfollows: After the crates have been revolved a sufficient length of time to allow the liquid to cook the food they are lifted out of the cooking compartments and immersed in a bath of cold water in a compartment 25 of the tank corresponding to t osedescribed, except that it has no steam-coils in the bottom and is rovided with an outlet-opening 26, referab y in the bottom near the center, an overflow-openings 27, placed above ,the level of the top of the crate to carry away the waste water and keep the water in the compartment at a suiiciently low temperature to insure the rapid cooling of the cans and their contents and arrest the cooking operation. The crates, with necessary to ill the same their contents, are revolved on the rolls in the cooling-compartments in the same manner as described with reference to the other compartments, and as it does not take as long to cool the cans I find that it is not necessary to provide as many cooling-compartments as those equipped with the steam-coils, the proper proportion Iiind being about two to one.

I prefer to have the rolls in all the compartments moving continuously, so that in case it is desired to make use of one of the compartments immediately it will Aonly be with liquid and lower the crate therein, which can all be done in a short time, and, furthermore, by

having the rolls in all the compartments inmotion the crates will ybegin to move the moment they are lowered into the liquid sufficiently to engage the rolls, for it is important during the processin operation that the cans and their contents ekept in motion, whereby burning and dis'coloring of the food are prevented.

I claim as my invention- 1. An apparatus for rocessing canned food, comprising a tank divided b vertical partitions into a series of indepen ent cookmg-compartments andcontaining a soluer method yet Y 5. An apparatus for tion, a steam-supply pipe, coils provided in said compartments and having independent valved connections with said supply-pipe, parallel rolls mounted in bearings in said compartments, means for revolving said rolls, and a crate having a rectangular middle portion and circular ends resting upon said rolls and wherein the filled cans are placed, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a treating-tank rovided with a series of independent cook; mg-compartments containing a liquid and steam-coils, of revolving rolls arranged in the bottom of said compartments and crates wherein thecans are packed having rings or bearings that rest upon said rolls and are revolved thereon with said crates.

3. A crate for processing-tanks, com rising substantially square angle-bar ends aving cross braces or bars and a bail, bars or rods connecting said ends and forming therewith a rectangular receptacle wherein filled cans may be compactly packed crosswise of the crate, a gate provided in the side of said crate, and rings inclosing the ends thereof and rigidly secured to said angle-bars at the corners of the crate, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a tank provided with cooling and cooking compartments having open tops, of revo ving rolls arranged near the bottom of said com artments, steam-coils provided beneath sald rolls in said cooking-com artments only, outlets and overilow-pipes or said cooling-compartments, and rectangular crates wherein the filled cans are packed and rings inclosing the ends of said crates and secured thereto and adapted to rest upon said rolls and be revolved thereby, substantially as described. rocessing canned food comprising a -tank divided by vertical partitions into a series of cooking and cooling com artments, the former containing a chemica solution and the latter asu plly)T of cold Water, steam-coils provided in the ottom of said cooking-compartments only, revolving rolls arranged in both said cooking and cooling com artments, crates adapted to contain a quantity of cans and havin bearings on sald rolls to revolve therewit and sald compartments having o en tops and said crates havingl means to iacilitate their removal from a cooking to a cooling compartment, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of Jul 1902.

lJO N S. HUGHES. In presence of- WM. STREETLY, C. STREETLY, Jr.

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